Saturday, November 20, 2010

Science, Students & Soap -Oh My!

Thursday was a very fun and out-of-the-ordinary day for me:  I made a bunch of natural handmade soap!  Huh?  Why Becky, whatever do you mean?

What I mean is this:  I got to demonstrate soapmaking to 6 groups of very bright & amusing kids at my son's school.  The kids are part of a special program through which they get to participate/learn about extra subjects that aren't part of the regular curriculum -and this week the subject was Soap Making!

I'll admit that when I received the request from the sweet ladies who coordinate the program (Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Scott),  I had mixed emotions.... first:  "Oh how FUN!"   "This will be a blast!",   followed by: "Hmmm, I'll need to write some sort of information for the students"  "Hmmm...I'll have to get all my stuff transported" (Hubby was a GREAT help with that!)   to finally: "What if the kids aren't interested?"  "What if I forget something?"   Where does all that crazy self-talk come from?  It was a great time, I didn't forget anything, I think the kids learned quite a bit, and they seemed genuinely interested, were polite, respectful & fun!

We talked a bit about the History of Soapmaking, the Science of Soapmaking,  Soapmaking Safety,  Materials Used....and then they saw the "Cold Process" soap making technique.  The students chose the nutrients and essential oils for each batch, and they really got creative and chose some fabulous combinations.  Just take a look:

[caption id="attachment_617" align="alignleft" width="262" caption="Class 1 - Gentle Baby Soap with Mango Butter & Oatmeal "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_618" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Class 2 -Lemongrass & Honey w/Brown Sugar"][/caption]

        

[caption id="attachment_626" align="alignleft" width="282" caption="Class 3, "Christmas", Bay essential oil, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon honey & brown sugar"][/caption]

                      

[caption id="attachment_620" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Class 4: Ylang Ylang essential oil, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, poppy seeds and honey"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_621" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Class 5: TeaTree & Eucalyptus essential oils, poppy seeds, oatmeal & honey"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_622" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Class 6: Palmarosa essential oil, cinnamon nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, honey & brown sugar"][/caption]

                                                                                                                     Aren't these some great soaps? 
  

We're not quite finished with the "soap making" project, though.  In two weeks each student will get to design their own  packaging/soap label & the student-packaged soaps  will be donated to the annual "Mouse House: at the school.  (Something tells me these will go like hotcakes!)

I hope the students had as much fun learning as I had demonstrating; and a special Thanks to Mrs. Moore & Mrs. Scott for all your help!   (Wish you guys helped me all the time!)   :D  ~Becky

p.s.  The soaps we created on Thursday will be "cured" and  in the Online Store around Dec. 12th.

 

 

6 comments:

Michele said...

Becky, they all look just great. How fun was that? That baby soap is lovely and the lemongrass and honey with brown sugar - Yum!

Jan said...

That's fantastic Becky, well done! I bet they loved it and you never know you might just have made one of the future master soap makers.

thesoapsister said...

Wouldn't THAT be somethin'! It's just so much fun to make soap, isn't it? To be able to share the process with the students was fun, and I can't WAIT to see how they package the other soaps! :D

Amy Warden said...

Sounds like a bright group of kids - all of them! They really liked that Pumpkin Pie Spice fragrance, huh? Can't blame them at all! Fun stuff!!

Renee said...

Hi Becky!!

THANK YOU a million times for sharing the gifts God has given you with The Challenge Team! Not only did the kids LOVE the entire adventure, but Cara and I had a fabulous time as well!!! Kenzie is wanting to make some at home. I told her we would give Mrs. R a shout out and see if we could go for a 'creative' play date one evening! Ha!! You truly inspired the kids while they learned! Perfect!

God's Blessings to you!
Renee Scott

thesoapsister said...

Hi Renee, Thanks for the sweet comment. :D It really was a fun AND productive day for me (no getting sidetracked with laundry, etc.) You just give me a call -you and Kenzie can come over any time and we'll make some fun soap -maybe over Thanksgiving or Christmas break even?
I look forward to it!

God's best right back at ya', Kiddo!

~Becky